There are many wines to savour from Australia, from classic wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coonawarra or Semillon from the Hunter Valley, to the new “natural” wines from wineries like Jaume and Alpha Box & Dice. At the Dish N’ Dazzle event supporting the BC Hospitality Foundation, wines of Australia were sipped and savoured, together with sample dishes from Vancouver chefs. Here are a few of the Australian wines that I thought should be mentioned. All the wineries that I mention below, except for Voyager Estate, have local agents, so you should be able to find these wines either in the BC Liquor stores and/or at private wine shops.
My Recommended White Wines
Petaluma Riesling 2015, Clare Valley – Watery straw colour with a green tinge. Nice nose with stone fruit, and in particular peach aromas. Dry, medium body, round with a light acidic prickle. Medium intensity stone fruit flavours with honey on the end. Elegant. Rating: 
Leeuwin Estate Siblings Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2014, Margaret River – Quite pronounced gooseberry and lime aromas. Dry, medium minus body with more gooseberry and lime on the palate. A nice sipper. Rating: 
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay 2013, Margaret River – Nice nose with aromas of vanilla, tropical fruit and pears. Dry, medium body with light mouth feel. Sweet spice and tropical fruit with a peppery finish. Rating:
Voyager Estate Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2015, Margaret River – Lots of jalapeno pepper aroma with some gooseberry in the background. Dry, medium body, with some roundness. More jalapeno pepper on the palate, along with green fruit and gooseberries. Nice. Rating:
McGuigan Wines Bin 9000 Semillon 2015, New South Wales – Cotton candy and citrus on the nose. Light bodied, dry with a light mouth feel. Apples and a touch of honey. Very nice. Drink now. Rating:
I wrote about the 2007 McGuigan Wines Bin 9000 Semillon that I tasted during an Australian wine seminar that day. You can read about it here, and find out about how Semillon changes with time in the bottle.
My Recommended Red Wines
Alpha Box & Dice Kit & Kaboodle Montepulciano Barbera Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Langhorne Creek/McLaren Vale – This is one of the new, experimental wineries from Australia, making natural style wines. Cassis, meaty, flinty nose. Dry, medium plus body, quite round. Rich flavours of cassis. Some nutmeg spice. Medium minus tannins. Rating:
Alpha Box & Dice Apostle Shiraz Durif 2012, McLaren Vale – The Durif grape is the Australian name for the Petite Sirah grape. The wine has a very ripe dark fruit nose. Full body, rich and round with firmer tannins. Lots of ripe dark fruit and nutmeg. Medium plus acidity. Very tasty. Rating
Kilikanoon Wines Killerman’s Run Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Clare Valley – Light capsicum, dark fruit and a hint of coffee on the nose. Full body, with more coffee and capsicum on the palate, together with ripe red and black fruit and a mineral streak. Higher acidity. Peppery. Rating:
Hollick Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Coonawarra – Almost opaque garnet in the glass. Meaty, iodine, tarry, dark fruit nose. Fuller bodied, dry and round with medium plus acidity. Dark fruit, light vanilla and pepper on the palate. Rating:
Stonier Pinot Noir 2015, Mornington Peninsula – Floral and sweet red cherries aromas. Light body, dry with fine tannins. Floral, red fruit and a hint of tea leaves. Medium acidity. A balanced wine. Rating:
You can click on this link to read about other Australian wines I tasted at the seminar which preceded this tasting.
